Sunday, 23 November 2008

In the past week alone, four e-mails about animal cruelty have arrived in my inbox, from four completely different sources.

The first was about a dog called Hope (pictured here), who was found abandoned in a locked metal box during the xenophobic attacks earlier this year, and who now needs a new home; the second was an appeal for signatures to support a 3rd Degree investigation into appalling cruelty to horses; the third was from PETA (People Opposing Animal Abuse), which has uncovered shocking brutality during the slaughtering of turkeys for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday in north America; and the fourth was an expose of the annual whale and dolphin slaughter in the Faroe Islands off Denmark.

As we know that, on a quantum level, everything is interconnected, and that every act of cruelty affects us all, I believe animal abuse is something we all need to oppose in every way possible. And, of course, the best way to do that is not to turn away at the very thought of it, but to ensure that we are informed about what is going on in our world and about how best to counteract it.

So this selection of books is for animal lovers and compassionate people who want to know more and who wish to make a difference:

One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World

Ingrid E. Newkirk

One Can Make a Difference is a compilation of more than 50 thought-provoking essays written by an intriguing and diverse group of people, including His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Sir Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Dennis Kucinich, Russell Simmons, Brigitte Bardot, Martina Navratilova, Stella McCartney, Ravi Shankar, and Oliver Stone.

All, armed with nothing more than the power of their personal beliefs, have had a profoundly positive impact on the world. And, as readers peak into the psyches of these remarkable personalities, they see that all it takes to create an entire movement is the desire and determination of any one person.

This is an enlightening book that provides a road map for anyone seeking a just society and for those striving for positive change. Newkirk underscores the fact that we all inevitably face challenges in our lives and that a person does not have to be famous or wealthy to actively contribute to the betterment of the world.

Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

Mark Hawthorne

Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism brings together the most effective tactics for speaking out for animals and gives voice to activists from around the globe, who explain why their models of activism have been successful—and how you can become involved.

Concise and full of practical examples and resources, this manual will show you how many of the world's most engaged activists overcome obstacles, effectively speak to the public, lobby policymakers, conduct corporate and restaurant outreach, deal with law enforcement, cope with stress, and avoid burnout.

From simple leafleting to taking direct action, each chapter clearly explains where to begin, what to expect, and how to ensure that your message is heard. This book will empower you to make the most of your skills.

Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life and Avoid Cruelty to Animals

Ingrid E. Newkirk

Foreword by Sir Paul McCartney

Every day, each of us is faced with choices, and we can choose to hurt or to help, to be cruel or to be kind.

In this acclaimed new book, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk explains how simple choices that we make every day at the dinner table and the grocery-store check-out linecan have a life-saving impact on animals.

Packed with green tips on saving the planet, it's an invaluable resource for the concerned consumer. From soup to sweaters, pets to plants, candles to cosmetics, bug-catching to bedsheets, it's an year-round guide to compassionate shopping. Making Kind Choices makes doing good easy and fun with, and includes heartwarming stories, humorous anecdotes and practical tips.

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

Robin Robertson

Best-selling author Robin Robertson provides both novice and longtime cooks with effortless, everyday convenience and robust vegetarian dishes that can be prepared in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered.

Best of all, these 150 recipes, like "beat-the-clock" spinach lasagna and pineapple-apricot couscous cake, are made without meat, dairy products, or eggs, making them 100% cholesterol-free.

This cookbook also shows you how to use many of the new commercial vegetarian products, and it offers recipe variations and professional tips for speedy, stress-free entertaining, with flavors, textures, and presentations that your friends and family are sure to enjoy. Quick-Fix Vegetarian is a book that no kitchen should be without!

50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals

Ingrid E. Newkirk

Kids love animals, and teaching them compassion early on helps them to become compassionate adults. This book is full of fascinating facts and more then 100 projects and ideas that show young activists how they can get active for animals.

For more about these books, or to order copies, click through to the PETA Catalogue. Some titles are also available locally through kalahari.net.

And, if you'd like to read more about the stories I mentioned at the beginning of this post, see Suffer the Animals ... below.

It's a great pleasure - and I'm delighted to know that it features activism here in SA. It's also one of the titles available through SAbookworm's e-trading partner, kalahari.net, and top of my shopping list for this week.

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GOOD STUFF

Avaaz.org is the world's largest online advocacy network, with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.

"Our diverse community is brought together (by the need to address the) huge democratic deficit (that results from) international decisions shaped by political elites and unaccountable corporations (rather than by) the views and values of the world’s people."

Amnesty International is a worldwide organisation of ordinary people standing up for humanity and human rights. Particpate in global online campaigns for human rights on the UK site.

"Amnesty International's vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards."

Greater Good SA is the first online social marketplace for people who want to make a difference in our evolving society. Find, connect, give to and monitor thousands of causes in SA that need your support.

"GreaterGood South Africa brings good causes and committed givers together in meaningful and innovative ways to end poverty in South Africa."

Greenpeace is a worldwide organisation that stands for positive environmental and social change through non-violent direct action. Participate in public campaigns on any of the Greenpeace web sites. Unfortunately, there isn't a Greenpeace office in South Africa.

"Greenpeace exists because this fragile Earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action."

This is the national association that represents the SPCA movement in South Africa. The 92 independently-run member SPCAs are governed by the SPCA Act 169 of 1993, making the NSPCA a statutory body. Click through to the site to find out how you can support either the National Council or your local SPCA by donating or volunteering.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi

PETA, with 1,8 million members, is the largest animal rights organisation in the world. Find out how to sustain a cruelty-free lifestyle and support animal protection campaigns. (The bookworm isn't crazy about some of the seriously sexist ads that PETA puts out, but it's still a good cause ...)"If you have (people) who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have (people) who will deal likewise with their fellows." ~ St Francis of Assisi

This is an independent news web site that highlights the good news about South Africa. Be part of facing our country's challenges head-on without fear or favour, and of creating something truly extraordinary from them.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." ~ Winston Churchill

Click through to this site daily - for each click the site's sponsors will pay for a bowl of food for one of the world's 1 billion hungry people. Sign up for the handy daily reminder to make sure you don't forget, and use the free greeting card service - every card sent equates to a bowl of food.

You can also use the tabs at the top of the page to donate to The Breast Cancer Site, The Child Health Site, The Literacy Site, The Rainforest Site and The Animal Rescue Site - all at no cost to you. These sites support related causes all over the world.

"More than 820 million people in the world suffer from hunger; and 790 million of them live in the Third World." ~ Fidel Castro

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation with thepurpose o creating lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty. Click through to the site today and sign up to feed a child for as little as R120 a month.

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." ~ Matthew 18:5

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